"We are going to be fighting the best of the best very soon" - Sean O'Malley anticipates a step up in UFC opposition in the near future
Fan favorite mixed martial artist Sean O'Malley has anticipated a step up in UFC opposition in the near future.
Bantamweight sensation O'Malley defeated Raulian Paiva via TKO in the very first round at UFC 269 in Las Vegas. The victory helped him improve his record to 15-1 and also gave him a 'Performance of the Night' bonus.
'Sugar' has now won an extra bonus of $50,000 or more in six out of seven UFC fights so far. His only loss in the world's biggest MMA promotion came against No. 8-ranked bantamweight contender Marlon Vera at UFC 252 in August 2020.
During episode 167 of the Timbo SugarShow podcast, O'Malley recapped UFC 269. He claimed he wasn't interested in partying following the win over Paiva because he had to face tougher opponents next.
"Now, I want to f*****g get healthy and then just get back to training. Because dude, we are going to be fighting the best of the best very soon. And it is that once you start fighting the best of the best, you do not go backwards... I have zero craving to go to parties at the moment," said O'Malley.
Watch Sean O'Malley in conversation with his head coach and good friend Tim Welch below:
Sean O'Malley is now in the top 15 of the division
Sean O'Malley has finally entered the top-15 UFC bantaweight contenders' rankings. He currently occupies the No.13 spot ahead of Song Yadong and Cody Stamann.
He entered the rankings at the expense of former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, who moved into the flyweight division at UFC 269 and lost to No.6-ranked Kai Kara-France at T-Mobile Arena.
Sean O’Malley breaks into the rankings at #13. Who do you think he should fight next? https://t.co/R4UNuZxuVh
Another fighter who featured on the preliminary card last Saturday — former bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz — also made gains following his unanimous decision win over Pedro Munhoz as he moved up to No.7.
Of the UFC bantamweight contenders, only Raphael Assuncao and Stamann have bouts lined up in the near future. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the others are matched up inside the octagon.